SILVERSTONE, UK – Motul Team RJN will be looking to bounce back on home soil at Silverstone this weekend as the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup kicks off its second round of the 2017 championship.
The No. 23 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 of Lucas Ordóñez, Katsumasa Chiyo and Alex Buncombe will be out for redemption after failing to complete a lap at the opening round at Monza.
A dramatic start-line crash meant none of the three NISMO factory drivers got to complete a racing lap.
"I'm very excited for Silverstone, as it's the home track for Motul Team RJN," said Ordóñez. "We had a tough start to the season at Monza with the No. 23 car out in the start-line crash, so now we have to fight for a good result in Silverstone. We head into this week pretty confident. Previously Silverstone has been really good for us, but this championship is so close, and two tenths of a second can make a difference between being top five in qualifying or top 30. We really have to work hard to find the speed, and hopefully we can start the weekend in good shape. Silverstone is already very special for me because it is where I won GT Academy nine years ago. I love the track, especially the Maggots and Beckets section, and I think the GT-R will be very strong."
Motul Team RJN's other GT Academy graduate, Australian Matt Simmons, will also head to the circuit where he clinched his GT Academy crown two years ago. Simmons and his two British teammates – Struan Moore and Matt Parry – finished 11th at Monza with only a late race penalty taking the No. 22 Nissan GT-R NISMO out of a top 10 finish.
This Sunday's race will be shown live on NISMO.TV on YouTube.
Former GT Academy winner Lucas Ordóñez gives fans a unique behind-the-scenes view of the dramatic opening round of the Blancpain GT Championship Endurance Cup.
Silverstone race week!! Cant wait to strap back in our #22 @NISMO @motul GTR 😁🤙🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/EhdUJxrjDt
— Matt Simmons (@mattsimmons08) May 8, 2017
NISMO Calendar
May 13-14
Blancpain GT Series, Endurance Cup, Silverstone, UK
European Le Mans Series, Monza, Italy
Nissan Micra Cup, Calabogie Motorsports Park, Canada
May 20-21
Super GT, Autopolis, Japan
Pirelli World Challenge, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Toronto, Canada
Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, Winton, Victoria, Australia
May 27-28
Pirelli World Challenge, Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, Connecticut, USA
Nissan Micra Cup, Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Canada
Contact
Paul Ryan
Global Motorsport Communications
Nissan/NISMO
Marketing and PR Manager
Phone: +1 678 644 0404
paul@nismosupport.com
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